Loading a 120 film camera with a pair of 3D printed 35mm film adapters

I’ve just loaded my Lubitel 166b 120 6×6 format film camera with a roll of 35mm film… so thought I’d write a quick post to demonstrate how.

First I ordered a pair of 3D printed 35mm film adapters off Sam Cornwell’s Etsy. (Sam’s website Photgotraphy is also worth checking out). They came in the post a few days later. Once I’d found a previously missing take up spool, I set about loading the camera.

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Step 1. Load it into the camera. It felt a little snug, but actually fit perfectly when I closed the camera.

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Step 2. Feed it into the take-up spool. No problems here.

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Step 3. I need to work out how much to advance the roll after each frame is shot. To do this I put a bit of tape on the winder and made a mark pointing to the top of the camera.

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I then put a tiny mark on the film and with the back of the camera open, wound it to see what sort of rotation would see the mark past the film gate. Luckily, two complete winds gave it just slightly more wind than is needed. I’m not worried about wasting a bit of film with an experiment like this.

Step 4. Close the back of the camera and make sure it’s light tight – that little red window is no good to me here. I cut the a bit out of a film canister lid and taped it over the hole.

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Step 5. Wind on. I gave it 4 complete winds of the knob. I feel like another might be safer… but I’m living dangerously…

Just a bit of fun… Keep an eye out for the results!

You can get a pair of 3D printed 35mm film adapters off Sam Cornwell’s Etsy – £6.46! Bargain!

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11 thoughts on “Loading a 120 film camera with a pair of 3D printed 35mm film adapters”

    1. Great post.
      Alternatively if money is no issue a new Lomography Lubitel 166+ is capable of shooting with 35mm film out of the box when you mount the so called Lubikin 35mm kit which is included with the camera. It’s called shooting in panoramic mode.

    1. Peter, it would depend on the 127 camera. I’ve managed to drag a roll of 135 through a Kodak Brownie before now (the oval plastic one, it has enough space inside) but you’d have no chance with anything that has tight film containers fitted just to a 127 reel like a VPK or a VP Twin.

  1. Did you have to modify you Lubitel in any way? I have previous version of this camera, Lubitel 2, and it has little spring and the bottom that provides tension for the film spool and with it 35 mm film cannister does not fit properly.

  2. Pingback: Solography with a Solarcan - Does exactly what it says on the tin! - 35mmc

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